The Temple was not only a model of the heavenly Holy Place, it was also a model of paradise. In order to understand our identity, therefore, it is important to realize that not only are we as the Temple of God a picture of the new heavens, we are also a picture of the new earth. Before we can fully appreciate the significance of this identity, however, we must understand what we lost when we rebelled against God. In short we lost vita et libertas – life and liberty – and replaced them with mors et servitudo – death and servitude.